Commander Keen on Steam - User reviews, Price & Information

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Commander Keen: Invasion of the Vorticons: Episode 1: Marooned on Mars (Dec. 14th 1990) Episode 2: The Earth Explodes (1991) Episode 3: Keen Must Die! (1991) Commander Keen's very first adventure, and the debut of id's groundbreaking side-scrolling technology.

Commander Keen is a platformer, classic and 1990's game developed and published by id Software.
Released on August 03rd 2007 is available in English only on Windows.

It has received 1,501 reviews of which 1,402 were positive and 99 were negative resulting in a rating of 8.9 out of 10. 😎

The game is currently priced at 4.99€ on Steam.

The Steam community has classified Commander Keen into these genres:

Platformer Classic 1990's 2D Action Retro Old School Singleplayer Sci-fi Family Friendly Side Scroller Adventure Nostalgia Pixel Graphics

Media & Screenshots

Get an in-depth look at Commander Keen through various videos and screenshots.

Commander Keen screenshot
Commander Keen screenshot
Commander Keen screenshot
Commander Keen screenshot
Commander Keen screenshot
Commander Keen screenshot
Commander Keen screenshot

System requirements

These are the minimum specifications needed to play the game. For the best experience, we recommend that you verify them.

Windows
Minimum: A 100% Windows XP/Vista-compatible computer system

User reviews & Ratings

Explore reviews from Steam users sharing their experiences and what they love about the game.

Aug. 2025
I have played and finished the 5 games collected here (which is unfortunately not the "complete" collection) for the first time in 2025. I had no prior experience with Keen games, so I think I'm qualified to give a verdict on them without nostalgia affecting my judgement. The Keen games have stood the test of time surprisingly well. Their game design and level design is top-notch. The games don't suffer from the stupid difficulty of the 80s and 90s game (even on hard difficulty), but they are difficult and reaching certain collectibles that are placed in tricky positions is immensely satisfying. The first trilogy (Invasion of the Vorticons) shows its age more than the second duology (Goodbye Galaxy). It doesn't have music (like none), the visual design is rougher and simpler and generally, many of the challenges are based on Keen's clunky movement. However, that's enjoyable in itself. Goodbye Galaxy is a huge leap forward. We're talking about "Wolfenstein 3D to Doom" kind of leap. Soundtrack has been added, The graphics are gorgeous and Keen's movements are very responsive and intuitive. Also since the ability to save the game mid-level has been added, the challenges have become harsher. You'd be saving a lot. But since you can save, it never gets overwhelming, even on hard. All and all, the Keen games, with their lovely humor and character that Tom Hall infused in them, are a shining example of how ambitious and passionate id Software was from beginning. Apart from its reliance on scoring system, it doesn't have any obvious outdated elements. You can still buy and play them and enjoy them, as I did. Highly recommended.
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July 2025
great game for a great challenge to be not die at damn every level. conclusion: a game of great nostalgia for our youthful childhood and i full really recommend it to you, take it!
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May 2025
i just finished the Commander Keen series (I had to download CK6 separately because it does not come with this pack for - I guess? - licensing reasons. I thoroughly enjoyed re-playing all the games. My favourite episodes are the original game, Invasion of the Vorticons; the 4th in the series, Goodbye Galaxy and finally Keen 6, The Aliens Ate My Babysitter. All of these are excellent games, each for different reasons. If I had to choose a favourite then it would probably be a coin-toss between the original, CK1 and Commander Keen 4. Episode 2, The Earth Explodes and Keen 5, The Armaggeddon Machine, are both notable runners-up, falling into second place with Keen 3, Keen Must Die, being the worst of the series. (I have to say, I found Keen 3 so crappy that I didn't even bother to even finish it. The levels are all ridiculously difficult and complicated and it seems buggy, which I'd blame it on Dosbox but all the other games in the series worked fine, so I'll have to rest the blame on the game itself.) Collectively, this is a throwback to a bygone era of gaming. Not all, but a good deal of contemporary productions (whether in film, television or gaming) tend to be intense with often quite dark themes. There is absolutely a place for these type of games. However, there is absolutely a place for lighter, sweeter fun too - and Command Keen is the game for you if that is what you are looking for! Setting aside Keen 3, the rest of the series are great fun and all contain interesting and sometimes even challenging wee puzzles (the type of puzzles where, even if you don't get them at first go, if you play through them a few times, eventually you will succeed). The graphics on the first three are simply adorable and the final three have really cutesy but good graphics: surprisingly good, particularly for EGA graphics. There is something about the old EGA art that I find really endearing - especially those late stage of EGA games, just before the 256 VGA adaptors arrived, which demanded the artists make the absolute most out of that 16-colour palette! The sound effects in the original are also quite adorable, making the absolute most out of the original PC speakers! By Keen 4 and onward, the music and sound effects are just brilliant (for example, when you are collecting the water droplets in Keen 4 or squishing the fly with the pogo stick). So, if you want a good 'all-arounder' to have fun playing with a bit of challenge, but without being *too* challenging, then Keen is the perfect choice! Apart from what I said about Keen 3 above, I can't fault the rest of the series. I played these when they were originally released, I have just played them again now and I will play absolutely them again in the future when this type of game strikes my fancy!
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Nov. 2024
Blast from the past and one of my favorites when I was a kid and fumbling my way through early windows shareware/freeware games.
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Nov. 2024
My playtime is not accurate as this game was left turned on 10 years ago while on vacation. It's classic Commander Keen. Episodes 5, 4 and 1 are the best. Download the latest version of DOSBOX before you start playing. You can use a controller through the JoyToKey software.
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Frequently Asked Questions

Commander Keen is currently priced at 4.99€ on Steam.

Commander Keen is currently not on sale. You can purchase it for 4.99€ on Steam.

Commander Keen received 1,402 positive votes out of a total of 1,501 achieving a rating of 8.86.
😎

Commander Keen was developed and published by id Software.

Commander Keen is playable and fully supported on Windows.

Commander Keen is not playable on MacOS.

Commander Keen is not playable on Linux.

Commander Keen is a single-player game.

Commander Keen does not currently offer any DLC.

Commander Keen does not support mods via Steam Workshop.

Commander Keen does not support Steam Remote Play.

Commander Keen is enabled for Steam Family Sharing. This means you can share the game with authorized users from your Steam Library, allowing them to play it on their own accounts. For more details on how the feature works, you can read the original Steam Family Sharing announcement or visit the Steam Family Sharing user guide and FAQ page.

You can find solutions or submit a support ticket by visiting the Steam Support page for Commander Keen.

Data sources

The information presented on this page is sourced from reliable APIs to ensure accuracy and relevance. We utilize the Steam API to gather data on game details, including titles, descriptions, prices, and user reviews. This allows us to provide you with the most up-to-date information directly from the Steam platform.

Additionally, we incorporate data from the SteamSpy API, which offers insights into game sales and player statistics. This helps us present a comprehensive view of each game's popularity and performance within the gaming community.

Last Updates
Steam data 14 September 2025 10:25
SteamSpy data 09 September 2025 22:41
Steam price 14 September 2025 04:45
Steam reviews 12 September 2025 14:08

If you'd like to dive deeper into the details about Commander Keen, we invite you to check out a few dedicated websites that offer extensive information and insights. These platforms provide valuable data, analysis, and user-generated reports to enhance your understanding of the game and its performance.

  • SteamDB - A comprehensive database of everything on Steam about Commander Keen
  • SteamCharts - Analysis of Commander Keen concurrent players on Steam
  • ProtonDB - Crowdsourced reports on Linux and Steam Deck Commander Keen compatibility
Commander Keen
4.99€ Visit Store
Rating
8.9
1,402
99
Game modes
Features
Online players
4
Developer
id Software
Publisher
id Software
Release 03 Aug 2007
Platforms
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